Top 10 LGBTQ+ Animated Characters

For the entire run of “Gravity Falls”’ on Disney Channel, fans wondered if Sheriff Blubs’ close friendship with Deputy Durland was actually supposed to be read as something more. The two were always a source of comedy in the show for being incredibly incompetent, yet lovable all the same. In the show’s final episode, they finally declare their love for one another, confirming the popular theory. Creator Alex Hirsch once said that he wanted to include a gay character in the series, but was doubtful that he could on a children’s program. But it looks like this small moment in the final episode allowed him to do just that.

Todd spent the first few seasons of “BoJack” as a lovable and optimistic couch-hopper. However, in the third season, he reunites with his ex-girlfriend Emily, with whom he had a strange and non-sexual relationship. Meeting up with her again helps him come to terms with the facts that he is asexual, and he continues to explore this new identity throughout the following season. He’s one of the first canonically asexual characters in television, and his journey is displayed with vulnerability and heart, which contrasts his normally zany personality. It gives us just another reason to love and sympathize with the series’ sweetest character, and it’s satisfying to see him finding himself as the show progresses.

Though Mr. or Mrs. Garrison comes to mind when considering LGBTQ+ characters in this satirical comedy, he or she tends to defy categorization. Tweek and Craig, on the other hand, experienced a truly silly, “South Park” coming out story. When the Asian girls at school started drawing the two boys in yaoi art, the town decided they were together, and so they were. Though it wasn’t initially clear that they had officially come out, the two have since been shown to have developed a sincere relationship. As it turns out, they have given the show some of its sweetest moments in recent memory.

Marshmallow, a transgender sex worker, was initially meant to be a one-time character whom Bob briefly befriends in the first season. However, she turned out to be so popular with fans that she became a recurring participant in the misadventures of the Belcher family. She’s only sparingly used in the series, which makes her random one-off moments even funnier. The show hasn’t told us a lot about this quirky character, but one thing is for certain: if you need your back cracked, Marshmallow is the woman for the job.

In this Cartoon Network series, Clarence’s friend Jeff immediately stood out as an anxious foil to the titular carefree protagonist. Midway through the first season the audience met Jeff’s parents, EJ and Sue, both of whom are women. EJ is the more high-strung mother, resembling her son, while Sue is more relaxed and laid back. The show never feels the need to explain why two women are together or how their relationship is different than a straight one, which goes to great lengths in normalizing gay parents for the young viewers.

Marceline’s sexual identity has never come up within the series itself, but Olivia Olson, the voice of Marceline, as well as a couple behind the scenes crew memebers, have previously confirmed that she had a relationship with Princess Bubblegum prior to the events of the series. Before it was made canon, many fans had suspected this, based on the friendly rivalry that the two share. In addition to being bisexual, she’s also a rocker, a trickster, and a vampire...obviously. She’s easily one of the coolest characters in all of Ooo, and her personality isn’t limited to what’s revealed within the series.

The third eldest of the eleven children in the Loud family, Luna is an effervescent fifteen year-old with an affinity for music. When the family scrambles to figure out who received a love letter, Luna is revealed to have a crush on a girl at her school, implying that she is bisexual. She’s one of the sweetest and most eccentric kids in the family, identified by her love of all things rock, particularly her idol, Mick Swagger. Her sexuality has only been briefly touched on, but hopefully the series will continue to develop her love life.

Smithers probably spent more time in the closet than any other character in TV history, not officially coming out until the twenty-seventh season of “The Simpsons.” Up until that point, it had been heavily hinted (and “hinted” is a generous way of putting it) that he was in love with his unscrupulous boss, Mr. Burns. He tends to act as a punching bag, which suits him well, particularly as a foil to the lazy Homer. Marge’s sister, Patty, was the first recurring character to come out on the show, with the reveal taking place in the sixteenth season, but she just can’t compare to this lovable sad sack.

Garnet is one of the most badass characters on television...period. She is the result of a fusion of two gems named Ruby and Sapphire, who fall in love despite their circumstances. Learning this backstory makes Garnet more than just an unshakeable warrior, but a complex and vulnerable character. The core of her power is the love between these two characters, who care so much for one another that they spend nearly all of their time joined together as one being. She’s far from the only gay character on this particularly inclusive show, with Pearl being another standout, but it’s hard to top Garnet’s beautiful representation of love.





Before we reveal our top pick, here are a couple honorable mentions:



Ray Gillette

“Archer” (2009-)





Auntie Momma

“The Cleveland Show” (2009-13)

Korra was an instant hit with audiences, as the star of the continuation of the universe from “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” She’s the next Avatar after Aang, allowing her to bend water, fire, earth, and air. Though she can be a hothead, she’s strictly loyal and more than a capable bender. Throughout the show, she’s shown to be close to Asami, but in the final moments of the series, they share a romantic moment, confirming that they are, at least by the end of the episode, a couple. It’s a moment that forces us to recontextualize the series and these characters that we’ve grown to love, and it’s a twist we’re totally on board for.